At this
point in my career, my design process focusses largely on the materials
available to the architectural world. Studying
the evolution of modern architecture through the Architecture 329 class at Ball
State University has only advanced this interest of materials driving the
design process. To me, the way a
building is put together has the most potential to create a truly beautiful
work of architecture. The structural
system and material used carries the most defining aspect to the overall
characteristic of a building. The choice
of structural material begins shaping the limitations and possibilities of the
building from early on in the design process.
Once this decision is made, others can be easier to determine by following
the same characteristics of the already chosen material.
To explain this process further, I
have attached some of my work thus far in my academic career. The first design project that shows this
process comes from a riverfront restaurant I did my sophomore year of
architecture school. For this project I
began with creating a structural form that supports what I was trying to
accomplish with the building. I needed a
shape that would create overhangs yet allow for transparent façade materials. After
finding a parabolic shape made out of steel pipes connected on a warped grid, I
was able to further the design following the attributes this structure allowed.
The shape this steel structure created was able to stand out as an expressed
element architecturally. The exposed
structure also allowed for interaction with the users of the space and the
environment. The design shown is not
very well explored due to the lack of experience I had at that point, but the
process is still evident.
The second design project that I
designed using materials and structure was a church project also designed
during my second year of schooling. The
main aspect of this project was the views out from the sanctuary space. To create this space, I envisioned large portions
of glass between strong natural materials.
Glulam members became my choice as a solution to the design
problem. These beams allowed for long
spans, opening up the façade as much as possible and also framing views. Once my material and structure was chosen I
was able to focus on where views needed to be.
The structural system chosen helped inform these choices.
For the ICMA
competition second year we were challenged to use concrete masonry as the
material. This left a few options for
structural systems and I ended up with concrete masonry bearing
walls. I wanted to use the strength of
the masonry walls to draw attention to the simplicity and sturdiness of the
material. The large bearing walls were
able to support everything in the design from the roof, to the different floor
levels, to the stairs. By choosing to
celebrate a structural system, I found many new opportunities the system
provided that I had not known prior to the project.
A project where I utilized this
process the most was in a Green Workforce Training Center during my third year
of school. I utilized a grid structural
system for the first time on this project.
I had always viewed grids as boring and only used for commercial
purposes because of the simplicity. While
working on the project, I lost that mindset very quickly. Using a grid, I was able to make a more
complete project that is cohesive all the way through. After I completed the competition, I had a
new respect for the grid and felt that the choice of this structural system
freed up a lot of my decision making allowing me the opportunity to spend more
time elsewhere. The grid influenced
decisions about materiality, function of spaces, circulation, proportions, and site
work. This was the first time I completely
devoted every design decision to a set structural system and I am very happy
with the result.
Looking back
on my schooling so far, I believe this design process has allowed me to be as
successful as I have been. Every
architect has the ability to determine their own style of design and I believe
I have found mine. After reflecting on
my past projects for this blog post, I realize how much the design process has
evolved. Carrying this design approach
into the future will allow me to continue developing as a designer. I believe that as new technologies arise more
opportunities will follow in architectural terms. Determining the structural system early in a
design allows for other design decisions to follow the same characteristics and
creates a more complete design.
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